World ORT and ORT Russia to Help Develop School for Russia's Silicon Valley

The school which ORT is helping to develop will form an integral part of the Skolkovo innovation city, seen here in an artist’s impression.

World
ORT and ORT Russia have been given the task of designing a massive new school
to serve the population of the Skolkovo Innovation Center – Russia’s answer to
Silicon Valley.

The
Russian government launched the Skolkovo Innovation Center project in 2009 on
900 acres west of Moscow. Since
then, more than 200 companies have expressed an interest in developing new
space and telecom products, innovative medical equipment, biotech, clean and
efficient energy products, nuclear technologies and information technology.
Skolkovo is intended to become an ecosystem to encourage scientific and
technology-based companies.

After
beating a field of 200 domestic and international competitors for the
multi-million-dollar offer, ORT has initiated a consortium of companies and
organizations to create a “smart school,” similar to the concept World ORT is
developing in Israel with the Kadima Mada (Science Journey) program.

The
school complex plans to serve 2,000 students aged between six and 18, and tie
their education in to advanced study at the proposed Skolkovo Institute of
Science and Technology, which will integrate education, research, innovation
and entrepreneurship.

Gregory
Vodopyan, Deputy Principal of the ORT Gunzburg School in St Petersburg, said
that “ORT will be responsible for designing information systems, teacher
training, designing the technology curriculum and experimental work with new
learning methods and teaching materials.”
He added that ”we want to implement a student-centered model where a
teacher, assisted by tutors, will educate students sitting together in groups
allocated according to learning performance.”

“That
we are a driving force of the consortium which won the offer for such a
prestigious project is a great achievement in and of itself,” noted Alan E.
Klugman, Executive Director of ORT America. “After 20 years of developing ORT’s
operations in Russia, I can’t imagine better recognition of our contribution
and achievements.”

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Hebrew teachers from 10
countries in a lecture given by Dr. Arye Olman at the Naomi Prawer Kadar
International Seminar for Digital Technology in Jewish Education in Moscow.Hebrew teachers from 10
countries in a lecture given by Dr. Arye Olman at the Naomi Prawer Kadar
International Seminar for Digital Technology in Jewish Education in Moscow.